Saturday, January 14, 2012

The Thorn and the Blossom, or, why print books are important...

Because you can't do all THIS digitally. The Thorn and the Blossom, a Two Sided Love Story, by the lovely and talented Theodora Goss, published by Quirk books. Read the accordion-style book one way, you get one side of star-crossed love from one character's perspective, flip it over and read the other point of view. A work of art in storytelling.

It's breathtaking!

And I'm giving this new copy away to one of you fine folk who comment below, with hopes that you will show off this book and its awesomeness and continue to support print books. While I appreciate digital publishing, there's just something magical about opening a book. And there's nothing quite so magical as a book that's also a work of art!

(Also stay tuned, I'll be making an announcement about an anthology that Ms. Goss and I will be in that I'm very excited about.)

Giveaway instructions: (USA only)

Leave a comment on something to do with print books and how you feel about them.

I've always preferred print books to e-books. There's something about the weight of the book in your hand and the smell of brand new book that seems to make the magic more alive. E-books can't create that level of magic.

I feel that, as a writer, digital books aren't good. As a reader, I like to have books on my shelf and I like to hold the book and smell the newness of it. As a writer, I feel that if I wanted to see my writing on a screen, I could do that on my computer or transfer the file to an iPad or Kindle.

I enjoy ebooks but they can never take the place of print. There is nothing more exciting than ordering a book and anticipating its delivery. When that book arrives you rip into the packaging and remove your new piece of art. The crack of opening your book for the first time, the smell of fresh print, and the feel of the paper between your fingers. No ebook could ever provide that type connection.

That book looks like a work of art! I love reading ebooks, but I think print books are wonderful, too! We live a long distance from the nearest bookstores, so sometimes ebooks allow us the chance to get books when new books by favorite authors come out. I don't need to kill a tree every time I want to read a story, but I also think that there are some stories that are so special that they need to be read in print instead of electronically.

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Wow, that book is gorgeous! I think there will always be a place for print books. I don't have enough shelf space to buy hard copies of everything, but I love having my favorite books in print-- especially because it's easier to lend them out to friends and get them hooked too! :)

I adore print books more than anything, yet I can't help but love the convenience and ease of ebooks! But if all books were as beautiful as that one, I'd definitely swear off ebooks. :) Some books are just too beautiful to not own.

Since I own another book written is this manner, I know how neat it really is (one side is about divorce, ), I know first hand how important print books are. Neither story would be the same if it were written in 2 books, or even one half one way, with the rest following. But to me the most important thing about print books is while you may loan a book out to someone and never get it back, it is easily enough replaced with another copy. We've all lost things from our computers which we've NEVER been able to replace (and seriously if you haven't, please tell me how!), and it has killed us. Granted, replacing an e-book would be fairly simple also, but still....The other thing is I LOVE the smell of books; old books, new books, books which have been damaged in some way, books given to me by others usually have their smell on them to so when I pick that book up, I am reminded, again, of the fact they thought enough of me to gove me a book in the first place. My sil reads all the time also, but she will only read new books, she doesn't care for the musty smells or smells from previous owners. To me the smell reminds me a bit of my grandmother's perfume, a smell which brings back warm, loving memories of someone I love with my entire being. How can anyone "love" something as impersonal as a computer?+1 twitter+1 fb+1 follow blog

There are few things in life that I treasure. By "things" I mean tangible, inanimate objects. Books are one of those things. I'm kind of a book hoarder. I can't remember when I began my love affair with books. Maybe it's because I was always rather odd and awkward around other kids, but I found books to be far more faithful as friends. From my earliest meetings with Dick and Jane and Laura Ingalls, to Mary Lennox, Alice, Black Beauty, Bridget Jones, the Ya-yas, Hamlet, Emma, Perrin Aybara, Frodo, Aslan, and countless others have drifted from printed pages to settle into the very fiber of my being. Nights huddled under my covers with a flashlight hours past bedtime. Summer afternoons under (or in) shady trees. There's just something about the FEEL of a book. The quiet crackling of the spine as it's opened. The whisper of the turning pages. The smell of old books, in particular is incomparable. One of my favorite books is a well-worn copy of "The Stranger Star" by Allen Crafton. It belonged to my grandmother as a child. I love imagining her as a little girl, curled up on an easy chair or couch reading that very same book. It's almost as if it holds memories of her. Some essence of who she is. I now have the joy of sharing it with my own children. I can't imagine reading fairy stories to my kids from an e-reader, let alone passing one down as an heirloom. No, for me, REAL books are the only way to read. To put them in electronic format is to strip them of their character and seems a disservice to the story itself. The design of a book adds too much to the overall appeal to be disposed of. "A Series of Unfortunate Events" would not have the same impact in mass market paperback as it does in hardcover with deckle-edged pages. I love my laptop and my smart phone, but you can keep your e-readers!

ETERNA AND OMEGA (Eterna Files 2)

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About Me

Actress, playwright and award winning, Barnes & Noble bestselling author of the STRANGELY BEAUTIFUL, the MAGIC MOST FOUL and the ETERNA FILES series of Gothic Victorian Fantasy novels for adults and teens. Her books have been translated into many languages and chosen for multiple book club editions. Four time Prism Award winner for excellence in her genre. Actress (Member AEA, SAG-AFTRA), lifelong Perky Goth, vegetarian, devotee of all things 19th century, owner of more corsets than is sensible, loves nothing more than a good ghost story (she works for Boroughs of the Dead tour company) and a long stroll through a beautiful graveyard. Passionate advocate of Gothic Literature at conventions, symposiums and schools around the country. A proud member of performer unions AEA and SAG-AFTRA, she works often in film and television on shows such as Boardwalk Empire.
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"Leanna Renee Hieber rules with an iron fist and a tiny black hat." - author Sam Sykes

Piracy Hurts the Authors You Love

If you care about books and those who write them, say no. Every illegal download hurts that author's ability to land their next book contract. Not only is it a royalty percentege they do not receive, but it's one less sales number that determines whether their publisher will contract their next book. No sales numbers? No contract. No books. Royalties and contracts are an author's paycheck. They're how we eat, pay rent, feed families, survive. A living author's books are not Public Domain. Internet piracy hurts the publishing industry, but it hurts the author most of all. If you'd like to read free books, please use the library system. (Button courtsey of Intense Whisper)